Fated Mate (Catamount Lion Shifters #3) Page 5

  Derek cleared his throat. “You got a few minutes?”

  Noah nodded, his mind turning over what Derek might want to discuss. “Sure. What’s up?”

  Derek shifted his shoulders. “I could use some advice and thought maybe you’d be a good one to ask.”

  “Why’s that?”

  Derek’s eyes held his for a moment. “I’m sure you guessed there’s a reason Kirk wanted to haul off and punch me. With everything going on, I’m not sure who’s safe to talk to, but I think you might be because you got my back the other day.”

  Noah’s curiosity was piqued. “Can’t say I blame you for wondering who’s safe to talk to. Shit’s hittin’ the fan left and right around here. After Theo got arrested, I figured I’d better lay low. I can’t even remember the last time I talked to him, but he’s my uncle, so…”

  Derek waved his hand dismissively. “Man, everyone knows you had hardly anything to do with your dad’s family. Not sayin’ that to be a jerk, that’s just how it is.”

  Noah recalled his mother’s comment yesterday and wondered if she was more right than he’d given her credit for. He met Derek’s gaze and nodded. “I guess that’s good to know.”

  Derek started to say something when a couple passed on the sidewalk nearby. “You mind meeting me out at my office?”

  Noah curiosity went from mild to serious, but he nodded. He and Derek hadn’t been buddy-buddy in high school, but they’d hung out a few times. Given his family life, Noah didn’t ever have anyone over when his father was alive, so the semi-friendship he’d had with Derek all those years ago was par for the course. After a short drive, he followed Derek down the road that led into one of the quarries owned by his family. The main office for their stone and construction business was located here. Once they were inside, Derek got right to the point.

  “I should probably go straight to the police with this. I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but I’m kinda scared. I figured maybe you’d be a good one to talk to because no one around here would try to screw with you. He’ll never admit it, but Kirk’s not gonna take you on after the other day. It’s not like much happened, but that’s exactly it. You stopped him cold.”

  “If you think you should go to the police, you should probably go to the police.” Noah stated the obvious.

  Derek tugged his hat off and flung it on a chair beside the desk. “I know. It’s not so easy when it involves someone who used to be my friend.”

  Noah leaned against the wall by the door and waited. It was obvious Derek wanted to spill whatever he was worried about, so Noah figured all he had to do was wait.

  Derek sighed and rested his hips against the desk, crossing his arms. “Kirk wants access to one of our quarries further out of town. If you hadn’t heard elsewhere, I had to fire him a few years back. Until then, we were pretty good friends. I knew he had some issues with partying too hard, but I didn’t know how far things had gone until I tried to help him out with a job. He goofed off, hardly ever showed up and expected to get paid anyway. I don’t know if he’s held a job for more than a few months at a time. Anyway, last week he showed up out here with Callen’s brother, Brad. He didn’t out and out threaten me, but it was pretty damn clear if I didn’t agree to let them have access to the quarry, they’d make life difficult for me. When you saw us at Roxanne’s deli the other day, I invited him to lunch to tell him to fuck off. Since then, Brad’s truck has shown up out at the quarry twice. It may be remote, but we have security cameras installed. Too many problems with yahoos wanting to cliff dive and shit like that. My best guess is Brad and Kirk are in deep with the smuggling bullshit and they need a remote location for deliveries.”

  Derek paused and took a deep breath. “What the hell should I do?”

  “You already know what you should do. Go to the police.” Noah was of two minds. Part of him wanted to walk out of here and pretend he’d never heard any of this. But a much bigger part of him wanted to dive in and root out whoever else was involved. Catamount had always been a safe stronghold for shifters, but now it was in serious danger.

  Derek kicked his heel against the steel desk, the sound reverberating in the small room. “Problem is, I keep getting these weird texts from a number I don’t recognize about making sure I do what I need to do to keep my daughter safe. If anything happened to Jasmine, I’d lose it.”

  Jasmine was Derek’s daughter from a young marriage. His wife had died in a car accident, and Derek had raised Jasmine on his own since then. Noah’s gut didn’t like any of this. At all.

  “How old is Jasmine now?”

  “Twelve going on twenty. She’s a good kid. If you told me Kirk would get so in deep with this shit, he’d threaten her, I’d have said you were crazy. But I don’t know anymore. I don’t know if he’s blowing smoke up my ass just to get me to shut my mouth, or what. After they kidnapped Chloe though, I’m not dumb enough to take chances. I know I should just go straight to Hank Anderson, but if they find out I did, I don’t know what they’ll do.”

  Hank Anderson was Catamount’s police chief and a shifter. Noah unfortunately knew him better than he’d like due to his father’s propensity to get caught up in petty legal issues when Noah had been growing up. “I’ll talk to Hank. Can’t promise they won’t try to blame you, but at least you don’t have to lie when you say it wasn’t you.”

  “You’d do that?”

  Noah shrugged. “Yeah. No sweat off my back. I may have been gone for years, but I hate seeing what’s happened in Catamount since Callen died and everything blew up. This used to be the one place I felt safe being a shifter. It pisses me off they’d threaten your daughter. She’s a kid! I’ll stop by the police station this afternoon. If they want to talk to you about it, they can call and you don’t have to worry about being seen down there for now.”

  Derek nodded. “Right. It’s not like Kirk hasn’t already put me in a hell of a position. All I meant to do was ask for some advice, but I’m beyond thankful you’re willing to help out like this. If you change your mind…”

  Noah shook his head sharply. “Won’t happen. I’m headed there now. I’ll call you.”

  ***

  Several hours later, Noah drove home. After he talked to Hank Anderson, he stopped by Jake’s office. Between the two, they had plenty to follow up on after he filled them in on the details from Derek. Though this didn’t change the upheaval winding its way through the shifter community in Catamount, Noah felt lighter. He’d carried the assumption that people thought he was like his father around for too long. His mother’s point and today’s interactions had shown him it wasn’t as simple as he’d thought. If anything, he supposed he should have known how it looked that he’d stayed out of Catamount until after his father died.

  After he got home, he headed into the woods behind his mother’s house for a run. He was still getting used to the fact that he could disappear into the woods and let his mountain lion run free. Once he was out of sight, he shifted. In a flash, heat prickled under his skin and fur rippled across the surface. He stretched and took off running, bounding through the deep snow into the foothills. It was close to dusk, but he had enough light to stretch and flex his cat for a little while. As he circled back toward his mother’s property, he saw a flash of tawny gold in the distance. He came to a stop and quietly leapt into a tree to watch. In another moment, a mountain lion wandered back into view. As the lion threaded through the trees at a slow jog, his lion recognized the other—Lily. Fierce desire jolted through him.

  The blessing and challenge in being a mountain lion shifter was that his lion knew what he wanted—on a primal level—and was definitive. If his lion didn’t have to wrestle with his human conscience, he’d leap down from the tree and bound after Lily. In cat form, she was lithe and beautiful. Suddenly, she came to a stop. He knew she sensed his presence. Her tail flicked, its black tip visible in the fading light. In the quiet of winter dusk, her eyes found his. An owl called softly in the dist
ance as they watched each other. Noah leapt down from his perch and stood in the snow. Lily’s eyes were bright blue, pinned to him through the snowy quiet of the forest. The pulse of desire between them was so powerful, he could feel its reverberations in the air. She lifted her chin, her tail flicking once more, before she turned and sauntered off.

  Noah had to call upon every ounce of restraint to keep from racing after her. He clung to the reason provided by his humanity and watched and waited until she was out of sight. He raced through the woods until he got home, shifting before he stepped out of the trees. After a shower, he checked on his mother. She was sound asleep with a book fallen on her chest. He picked up the book and marked the page before setting it quietly on the nightstand. When he returned to the kitchen to scrounge up dinner, his phone buzzed. He was startled to see a text from Lily on the screen. He’d gotten her number yesterday after he’d finished changing her tire.

  Can I see you?

  Noah didn’t know what he’d expected, but it wasn’t this. His pulse pounded as he held his phone in hand. Before he had a chance to reply, another text flashed on the screen.

  Okay, maybe that was weird.

  He realized he’d better reply before she changed her mind.

  Yes. Tonight? Not weird.

  His phone remained quiet with no return text for enough long moments that Noah wondered if she’d changed her mind. His body was running on high idle after the brief encounter in the woods. He was rummaging through the kitchen cabinet when his phone buzzed again.

  Dinner at The Trailhead? Half hour?

  Her directness surprised him, but he wasn’t about to say no. He shot off a quick confirmation and grabbed his truck keys.

  Chapter 6

  Lily stared at herself in the bathroom mirror. Her golden brown hair fell in soft waves around her shoulders. She wasn’t one to spend much time on her hair, which is why she generally left it loose. Even the nerve rattling prospect of dinner with Noah couldn’t bring her to know what else to do with it. She added a touch of eyeliner and lip gloss and threw on her winter jacket on the way through the living room. She lived alone in a small house on the outskirts of Catamount. She’d bought this house mostly because she was enchanted with its design. It was an octagon home with a wide open living room and kitchen area in the main part of the home and windows on every wall. A single bedroom and bathroom were to the side with laundry and a guest room and bathroom in the lower floor. She loved the skylight at the center of the roof where the angles came together.

  She hit the remote starter for her car and waited by the windows. The moon was close to full tonight, its silvery light bathing the trees, making the night seem magical. Her pulse was thrumming and had been ever since she’d seen Noah in the woods this afternoon. Seeing him in lion form, her cat had known, beyond a doubt, that she had to have him. She wanted him like she’d never wanted anyone. Part of her chafed at this. Her conflicted feelings about being a shifter came, in part, from how irrational the lion side of her was. Her human half relished logic, order and reason. She hated admitting it, but she knew part of the reason she struggled with being a shifter was the intensity of emotion, the primal quality of the experience. It made her feel out of control, like she couldn’t quite rein herself in. Today, seeing Noah in the woods was all feeling, all drive. After she shifted, it occurred to her that maybe she could use that drive to get over the side of herself that stood in the way of relationships. Or more specifically, left her stuck being a virgin even though it annoyed her to no end.

  Impulsively, she decided she would see him tonight and, instead of hemming and hawing, she’d just do what her body wanted and have him. She was determined to lose her pesky virginity once and for all. While half of her thought she was flat out of her mind, the other half of her knew if she let herself wait, she’d get in her own way. As she always had. She wanted so much more than those heated moments in his truck. Tension drew her tight, but desire strummed through her.

  The only problem she couldn’t find a way around was how to tell him she was a virgin. It seemed like she should, but she didn’t know. She was worried he’d think something was wrong with her. She sure as hell did. Every time she tried to date someone her brain got in the way. She figured if she didn’t do something drastic, she’d get more stuck than she already was. With a sigh, she checked her watch and headed out.

  When she arrived at The Trailhead, she saw Noah’s truck already in the parking lot. The Trailhead was located in an old-style diner building with shiny stainless steel on the outside and a bright red roof. The inside of the café retained the diner feel with a counter facing an open kitchen and scattered tables and booths. Cheery paint colors and arts shared space on the walls with photos of through-hikers of the Appalachian Trail and faded newspaper photos of mountain lions. The Trailhead served down-home diner fare with upscale healthy and gourmet meals. Maine had long been a tourist attraction to the city dwellers along the Eastern seaboard. By extension, it had become a destination for good food with the entire state scattered with excellent restaurants. Catamount had their share with The Trailhead a local favorite.

  Lily spied Noah seated at a booth. Her mind conjured the memory of his mountain lion in the forest today. He was tall and majestic, his amber eyes almost electric when he caught hers. She’d had to battle with herself, the pull to him had been so strong. Simply looking at him now, her heart started racing and desire unfurled through her veins, flushing her skin. She caught the hostess’s eye and gestured toward Noah before she began walking in his direction. He looked up, his eyes instantly locking with hers. Across the restaurant, she felt the burn of his gaze.

  Somehow, she managed to sit down across from him in the booth. Her pulse danced, and her breath was shallow. Heat suffused her. A waitress came by to take their drink order. The momentary activity gave her a chance to gather her wits. After a few minutes of casual conversation, Noah commented that he stopped by Jake’s office today.

  “You did?” Noah generally kept to himself, so hearing he stopped by her brother’s office seemed out of the ordinary.

  “Yup. Remember that little incident between Derek and Kirk at Roxanne’s store the other day?” At her nod, he continued. “Derek and I were kind of friends in high school. To make a long story short, he asked me for some advice because Kirk’s been on him about getting access to one of his quarries out of town. Best guess is they’re hoping to use it for deliveries somewhere remote. Kirk came to ask him about it with Callen’s brother, Brad. I offered to talk to Hank Anderson about it and stopped by to chat with Jake after that.”

  Lily stared at him. She hadn’t known what she expected from him, but it wasn’t this. She was relieved he’d gone straight to Hank with the information, but the niggling fear she carried just wouldn’t go away lately. Since Jake was working on the investigation around Callen’s death and the smuggling network, she’d probably heard more than most about the many leads they’d chased down. It felt like every time they tied up one loose end, another unraveled. She took a breath. “I’m glad you went straight to the police with it. I didn’t know you and Derek were friends.”

  Noah shrugged. “He’s as much of a friend as anyone in Catamount. With the way my dad was, not too many people came around. Derek and I hung out a little. I didn’t see anything to do other than talk to Hank about it. This whole thing’s just a mess. More and more, I wonder if Callen’s father is also involved. Jake said he’s been wondering the same thing.”

  The conversation moved on. Lily was relieved not to dwell on the investigation. She was weary from having it dominate every conversation. Noah had ordered a bottle of wine. Sometime after they finished eating, she realized she’d more than helped herself to the wine. She chalked it up to her nerves and how ridiculously distracting Noah was. Every time he turned those dark amber eyes to her, her pulse skittered and wet heat built inside. She remembered the promise she’d made to herself—she wouldn’t get in her own way tonight. />
  When they stood up to leave, Noah glanced at her. “How about I drive you home?”

  For a moment, she considered arguing, but she knew she might have had too much to drink, and if she let him drive her home, she might not chicken out. At her nod, he walked at her side on the way out, his palm coming to rest in her low back. The heat of his subtle touch burned into her skin, spiraling heat outward through her. Noah’s truck was running and warm when they got to it. The luxury of remote start was downright amazing in the cold winters of Maine. Lily sat beside Noah in the truck, the memory of the last time she’d been in here flashing like neon lights in her brain. As he drove the short drive toward her house, desire and anxiety warred within her. The space between them felt minute and immense at once. She glanced at his profile—his chiseled features and sensual mouth stirring the sparks of heat burning inside of her.

  She managed to guide him through the few turns to her home. When he pulled up, she thought she might die if he didn’t kiss her again. It was all she wanted. He turned to look at her, and she gathered every ounce of nerve she could find.

  “Do you want to come in?” she blurted out.

  She couldn’t read his dark gaze, but he nodded, so she didn’t stop and think. She climbed out of his truck and strode quickly to the door. She was still fumbling with her keys when he caught up with her. Her nerves and the cold were making her hands shake. Suddenly, Noah’s warmth surrounded her as he brought his arm around her from behind and closed his hand over hers.

  “Easy,” he said, his voice low and gruff at her ear.

  He steadied her hand, and she finally managed to get the key in the lock and turn it. Once they stepped inside, she turned on a few lamps. Noah stood in the center of the circular room looking up into the skylight. Snow had started to fall on the drive to her house. It drifted like stardust against the skylight.